Nigeria’s National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) is testing selected registered sanitary pads for volatile organic compounds following concerns about the safety of menstrual products.
The regulator is also investigating a complaint about a particular sanitary-pad product, with samples undergoing microbial-limit and skin-irritation tests. That inquiry is separate from the wider assessment of volatile organic compounds, known as VOCs.
A statement reported by Leadership on October 1 and TheCable on October 2 described the investigations but did not disclose their results. It did not establish that all sanitary pads sold in Nigeria are unsafe.
“The agency conducts laboratory evaluation of Disposable Sanitary Pad products submitted for regulatory approval and those sampled from post-market surveillance activities,” NAFDAC said, according to Leadership.
Okay News reports that the concerns include findings from a 2024 study of disposable sanitary pads. The original research paper examined 65 samples across 16 coded brands, bought in Kaduna, Lagos, Port Harcourt and Abuja.
The paper was published in the Nigerian Research Journal of Chemical Sciences. It assessed potential chemical exposure using assumptions about product use and absorption, rather than directly measuring illness among people using the pads. Its findings therefore need to be distinguished from a clinical finding that a particular product caused harm.
NAFDAC said it evaluates disposable pads as Class I medical devices and uses the applicable Nigerian Industrial Standard, NIS 291, in laboratory assessments.
The agency is reviewing approaches used in other countries, including South Korea. It said further requirements could cover VOC monitoring, substances of concern and disclosure of fragrances or other ingredients.
Any additional requirements would depend on scientific evidence, risk assessment and consultation with stakeholders, the regulator said.
